Lost Between the Times
by His Little LabRat
Summary: When on a pirate island, Luffy accepts a new member onto the Mugiwara crew. However, he doesn't know the secret about this woman, a Devil Fruit user, who is on a hunt to kill off ties and lives of nakama! Title Edit?
1. Nakama

**Warning:** rated **K+**for character death, violence, gore, drama and strong language. "Supernatural" occurances.

**Author's notes: **First off, sorry about the translation notes, since it kind of takes up so much space, but I'd like to keep them in there for the people who are reading and don't/didn't know the words or watch the English dub (you poor, poor souls; you shall learn). And I'm also sorry if it starts off kind of slow, but it's suspenseful, you'll see soon enough. By the way, Akemi's name comes _surname _first, then her first name, so her name is Akemi Karamorita in American culture.

**Translation notes:  
**_Nakama_: "Nakama" (Japanese) has no direct translation into the English language, and is often related to "friends" who are more around the lines of "family" to that person. So, I am leaving the word, "nakama," in the story without a direct translation.  
_Kaze Kaze no Mi_: "Kaze" (Japanese) means "wind." So the "Kaze Kaze no Mi" is basically the "wind wind fruit." Happy day.  
_Mugiwara Kaizoku_: "Mugiwara" (Japanese) mean, non-directly, "strawhat(s)." "Kaizoku" (Japanese) means, directly, "pirate."  
_Akemi_: Akemi means "bright beauty," which explains why Sanji called her a "beautiful, bright beauty!"

_**Chapter One  
**"Nakama"_

She took a step, the atmosphere growing heavy and sullen as men scooted their chairs close to the tables, the air in the bar settled heavy and desolate, even though there were men at each table. Silence filled the bar, all except one table. There, at one table far to the side, she heard nakama laughing amongst themselves as merry as nakama could be. As a loud roar of laughter broke out between the joyous nakama, every man's head spun to them in fear as a smirk snuck its way across her lips. Men scooted in their chairs to make room for the woman as she walked past. No one to look at her as she walked, her footsteps along the faded wood soft and unnoticeable. Shadows cast over the men's eyes as she walked by, the invisible aura around her frail frame dark and heavy, her dark eyes not glittering with the lights that hung overhead in the bar. She stepped up to the men, and instantly they quieted. They looked to her, her thin frame and gorgeous looks. They smiled.

"Hello, boys."

- - -

Luffy's stomach roared in his chest, sending reverberations through him. He grimaced and clapped a hand to his stomach, telling himself silently to shut up so they wouldn't stand out in public. But that didn't matter anyway, it was a Pirate's paradise after all; no Marines and by being an uncharted island, it was virtually invisible unless seen by the naked eye. It defied the Grand Line rules by being one amongst the few islands that had no magnetic activity.

Luffy's eyes roamed among the buildings to their sides as he passed each of them. Keeping a hand on his stomach, his eyes caught a restaurant down the way of the dirt road and his tongue lolled out of his head. By force of habit, he stuck out his arms and hands and clenched them back together, accidentally wrapping around the back of Sanji's and Zoro's neck, then flung himself forward as he screamed into the air, "food!" Sanji and Zoro still caught in his grasp as they flew down the open road to the restaurant, the last of the Mugiwara speeding after them, calling out their captain's name.

Luffy flew into a chair at a table, flying the two crew mates into the two chairs at his sides with a loud _crack_ and _snap_as they flanked into the chairs. The two raised their fists into the air and fly down across the still air as a loud, "Luffy" rings out into the air.

- -

She lifted her head, the wind tapping in along her long, brown and black layered hair, her silver eyes shining in the sunlight that cast on the roofsof the buildings as she walked down the street. A loud clatter rumbled down the street from a nearby bar and she smiled to herself as she started off towards the ruckus.

As she drew nearer to the ruckus of clattered words and noises, she began to make them out as laughing and she smiled, pushing so gently on the door into restaurant as she caught sight of seven nakama laughing among themselves as the rest of once loud, exuberant pub quieted as she entered. Suddenly, one of the seven nakama stood up, a strawhat on his head with gentle, black hair. "Why'd it get so quiet all of a sudden?" He looked around the bar, seeing everyone facing away from them, quiet and sullen, shadows hiding their eyes as they looked either away or down. "I knew this town was quiet, but this is weird..." He looked around and to the door. But, then he looked away after a smile and sat back down in his seat.

She strode over to the table of eight chairs with seven nakama and nudged at one seat. "Do you mind if I sit here?" A blond head looked up to her and he instantly smiled as his eyes caught sight of her.

"Oh, yes," the blond-haired man stood up and pulled out the chair for her as he waved her into it. She smiled and sat down, adding, "thank you," as she sat and smiled at him, which made him practically melt to the floor. She gave a gentle laugh and he smiled back, then scooting his chair over to her to sit down in it. "My name is Sanji," he took her hand and pressed his lips to its soft flesh. She gave a hearty laugh and Sanji let her hand go.

"My name is Karamorita Akemi." She smiled and her hair fell over her forehead and Sanji thought his heart would implode. Akemi looked across the table to the small, brown animal with a little red hat on it's head. "A reindeer." The animal popped its head up and smiled at her, smiling brightly at her.

"Would you like to join our crew?" The black-haired boy with the strawhat asked and another black-haired man's fist thwapped him over the head.

"Luffy!" He growled. "You can't just ask her that - you don't even know her!"

"I do know her!" Said Luffy stated as he watched her, then looked over to the man. "Usopp, her name is Akemi. See? I _do_know her." She laughed and nodded and both Usopp and Luffy looked over to her, Usopp slack-jawed. "I would love to join you," she said and Sanji's heart didn't explode, but he sure as hell did fall out of his seat feeling faint at heart and head.

- - -

Sanji leaned over the deck, resting his elbows on edge of the deck of the Going Merry, the wind brushing his blond hair and the yellow sun leaving glitter in his turquoise eyes as he stared ahead of the Going Merry as waves sloshed up on the fevered planks that made up the ship. Akemi then leaned down next to him, copying his posture and he turned to her, her smile reflecting in his ocean orbs. He smiled and she did too, but he looked down to the crystal waters. Fish swam among the currents of waves, attempting at keeping up with the pale turquoise waters, brushing up in the wakes of the waters and jumping out to fly along the sun-dotted surface. Sanji pointed down and Akemi leaned over the edge to look at the fish that tried to touch the sun with their fins. "You see them, Kemi-chan?" He smiled and she nodded as they laughed at both the nickname and the fish.

She was standing at point and leaning over the edge of the Going Merry, the water splashes along the sides so welcoming that she leaned over the edge of the Going Merry until her face hit the water and she couldn't breath. She tried to swim, her arms failing and stilling as her bubbling breaths floated to the surface of the turquoise waters. There was a loud cry above and the fish darted around her in frantic peril. With her eyes open, she could see the keel and bottom of the Going Merry, her vision becoming unclear. She heard a breaking of the surface and she closed her eyes tightly as the last of her breath escaped her mouth...

But suddenly.. suddenly, she didn't feel so insecure with someone's arms around her and breath being huffed into her system by the winds that blew past her mouth in frantic releases. She opened her mouth and drew in a deep breath, but instead of air, she coughed out water that had been sucked into her. "Akemi-chan, are you alright?" Her eyes flitted open to that same blond head that she had learned to rely on... Sanji.

"Yes," she choked out. "I can't swim." Sanji cursed.

"Devil Fruit."

- -

"Kaze Kaze no Mi?" Robin asked, sitting across from Akemi as the rest of the Mugiwara Kaizoku sat in a circle.

Akemi nodded. "Yes, I ate the Kaze Kaze no Mi when I very young. In fact, I can't recall when I ate it." She finished, looking around at her nakama.

"So, can you control wind direction?" Nami asked, leaning in so she could see Akemi past Luffy's hat.

"No, sadly, I cannot. I can control how fast the wind may go, but certainly not which direction. I can also control the temperature and type of air, such as the things and elements that go into the air."

"That's amazing, Kemi-chan!" Sanji bursted out, clapping his hands together with a bright smile on his face.

Rubbing the back of her head, she said, "I suppose so..."

"Cool! We know have four Devil Fruit users!"

"Four?" Akemi asked Luffy.

"Yes, four. The four are you," Akemi blinked at Robin. "Luffy," Luffy gave a hearty, soft laugh. "Chopper," Chopper craned his neck very slightly, giving a gentle smile. "And myself."

"Ah!" Akemi said, smiling. "So I see. But I feel sorry for Zoro, Sanji and Usopp," the three Mugiwara looked up to her.

"Why is that, Kemi-chan?" Sanji asked.

"You have to save us."


	2. A Fleeting Chance

**Warning:** rated **K+ **for character death, violence, gore, drama and language. "Supernatural" occurrences. Very mild pre-slash/coupling: Sanji x Zoro, Luffy x Zoro, Luffy x Sanji, Luffy x Nami.  
**Author's notes: **Um, sorry if it's confusing. I hope you can piece it together. If you have any questions, you can leave them in a REVIEW, as many other people might have that same question, and I'd rather not answer a thousand private messages of the same question. xD  
**Disclaimer:  
**Akemi's words to Nami and Luffy_ - "Room of Angels" _by and owned by Akira Yamaoka  
Zoro's, Usopp's, and Sanji's last words to Luffy _-_ _"Get Out Alive" _by and owned by Three Days Grace  
One Piece & friends - Eiichiro "The Man" Oda  
**Translation notes:  
**_Nakama_: "Nakama" (Japanese) has no direct translation into the English language, and is often related to "friends" who are more around the lines of "family" to that person. So, I am leaving the word, "nakama," in the story without a direct translation.  
_Kaze Kaze no Mi_: "Kaze" (Japanese) means "wind." So the "Kaze Kaze no Mi" is basically the "wind wind fruit."  
_Mugiwara Kaizoku_: "Mugiwara" (Japanese) mean, non-directly, "straw hat(s)." "Kaizoku" (Japanese) means, directly, "pirate."  
_Marimo: _"Marimo" (Japanese) is a ball of algae, or just algae in general. Since Zoro's hair is green, Sanji calls him marimo as a tease.  
_Oi:_ "Oi" basically means "yes." When they are calling out to each other to say hello, they say "oi" as in "yes," or "what."

_**Chapter Two  
**__"A Fleeting Chance"_

Luffy was gobbling up the food, Akemi sitting across from him at the small, circular table. She had seen him eat before, many times in fact, but she could never get over how much and how fast he ate. It still appalled her, made her stomach lurch and giving her a loss of appetite. Her eyes flitted to Zoro, the green-haired swordsman. She stood and excused herself from her meal, finished even with her loss of appetite. The rest stood up and followed her out of the kitchen, then sitting down in their usual circle of nakama on the front of the ship's upper level. They sat and had conversations about things that seemed to pop up, but the chat was broken when Robin stood up with a tired look on her face. She bid everyone a good nights sleep, but she could tell she doubted that entirely. She stared at her, unblinking, and she caught her gaze for a moment, Robin thinking she had said something, but then turned away and walked off. Out of no where, the wind began to pick up. Sanji began to yell over the high winds to the Devil Fruit user.

"Good-" Sanji was cut off as blood flew across the polished wood of the deck and it flew up into the air and painted the Jolly Roger of the mast with splotches of red. Robin's blood pooled out of her every being, as if her wounds from long ago had suddenly burst open and began to bleed. Nami screamed into Robin's cry of pain and peril, their screams molding together to rip apart every fiber of the black night. Winds as strong as oxen picked up the blood and splattered it across the orange-haired girl's face, sweeping across Sanji's blond hair as he dove to hold Nami, covering her mouth as she screamed into his palm with terror. Nami's tears dripped down his hands as his tears rolled down his cheeks and molded with hers on his hands. Chopper let out a piercing cry of anguish pierced over the two others sobs and tears caught in his plush, tan fur. Akemi's jaw dropped and Robin finally let out her last breath as she plummeted to the deck in a heavy thump. Akemi dove for Chopper, wrapping her arms around his small frame as he struggled for his fallen crewmate, crying out her names as he struggled beneath her tight embrace as she cooed to him a silent cry. Robin's blood pooled and dribbled between the cracks in the wood and over the edges of the upper deck. Usopp was left silent and under-handed, words and tears being caught in his throat and head. Zoro's eyes were wide as the screams ripped apart the night, silent, knowing it was the silence that screamed, Robin's blood seeping towards him in crimson lines. Luffy's mouth was open, his pupils dilated so that it took up the rest of his deep brown eyes. The wind died down and became a whisper among their ears. Luffy's mouth began to tremble and then he cried her name, but her still frame made no chance at moving. The wind gave a shrill rush and blood flew across Luffy's cheeks. He could taste that disgusting scent in his mouth and it clung to his tongue and messed with his head, clinging to his every poor. He was afraid. He didn't understand. He was afraid. So afraid…

They had calmed down, but not nearly as quick as the wind. Nami was still sobbing in Sanji's arms when Chopper stood up and away from Akemi. He wiped away his last tear and said, "We need to split up, but into pairs. We need to be safe just in case it's someone who snuck on board." Sanji looked up slowly to Chopper, saying he'll stay with Nami. But Chopper shook his head, saying, "No, Nami needs to rest. She has it worse than us…" Sanji looked down to the sobbing, but still figure that was his dearest Nami. He sighed and stood with her in his arms, cradled to his chest. Luffy looked up and gazed down at Chopper, wordless. Chopper looked back up at him and nodded. Luffy walked over to Sanji and took Nami, whose tears had stained Sanji's clothing and left tear trails down his chest and arms. Luffy took Nami with a sad, sullen face and Sanji looked into his black eyes, but the light seemed to have not been there anymore.

"I will go with Usopp," Akemi said softly to Chopper, but just loud enough so everyone could hear.

"Good," Chopper said with a very faint smile. "That's what I was planning on anyway." Chopper turned to Sanji at that point. "Sanji, can you go with Zoro?" Sanji's face scrunched up to refuse a thousand times over but he knew he had to be serious, so he just nodded. They all began to lower deck, but only Sanji stayed outside, going to the upper deck above the stern where Zoro and Nami's orange trees were.

Sanji walked over to Zoro once the others had disappeared from view below and sat down next to him. Zoro seemed so far-gone, mesmerized by something only he could see among the stars. Zoro was laying down on the grasses, staring through a sky light in the canopy of leaves. "Looks like I'm stuck with you, marimo," Sanji said, looking up and trying to see what Zoro was seeing. He couldn't see whatever it was and Zoro didn't say anything. "Hey, marimo…" Sanji said, glancing down at Zoro then back to the orange tree leaves. "I think we should head inside like the others. Whoever… that insane murderer is could be hiding among the trees." His attempt at shaking Zoro worked, but not on Zoro. He had only scared himself in the end. But Zoro didn't move or make any movement, and Sanji looked down to him. Zoro wasn't moving, hardly blinking and Sanji wouldn't have been able to see he was alive if not for the faint rise and fall of his chest. "Zoro?" Sanji leaned over so his face was over Zoro's by about a foot. Zoro's stare seemed to go through Sanji, but when Sanji's mouth opened to murmur Zoro's name to catch him from his trance, Zoro's eyes moved ever so slightly to catch Sanji's blue-blue gaze, making Sanji instantly close his mouth. Zoro was quiet, but Sanji knew what his eyes asked - "what do you want?" Sanji felt like smiling, but he didn't. "We should head in now, marimo head." Zoro looked past Sanji's hanging blond hair to the stars above them and held his gaze their for a moment until he looked back to Sanji, then gave a simple shrug. Sanji sat back and began to stand as Zoro followed him up.

- - -

Luffy sat on the bed silently next to Nami as she shook gently in her half-subconscious. Shadows engulfed his eyes as he looked and studied his hands, which where on his lap, fingers molded together. Chopper sat at his desk, scribbling in little notes - which turned out to be doodles. Luffy's brain was going rapidly, rumbling over words and making needless and useless lists in his head, sputtering over words and sentences, scrambling to explain how it happened to itself. _Eating. Talking. Going to bed. Blood. _Thump. _Thump? She fell. That's right. Wait a… _Luffy paused his thoughts and looked up. He had not _thought_ that. Luffy looked up from his hands slowly, looking up to the wood ceiling of the room, trying to think, the shadows still looming over his eyes. "Chopper…" Luffy said, but Chopper tried to look up, but he was still writing. "I'll be right back," Luffy finished. Chopper turned immediately this time to protest, but Luffy was already gone.

Luffy couldn't believe it. So he didn't think that after all. There, before him lay the lifeless, crimson body of his sniper. Luffy's jaw quiver and he fell to his knees. "U-sopp…" Luffy strung out slowly, his vocal cords not having the ability to speak his name, feeling the need to cry.

"_Ssh," Chopper cooed to the orange-haired girl who mumbled in her sleep. But he didn't notice how cold it was._

"L-u… ffy…" Usopp croaked out, twiddling his fingers to reach out towards his captain as he looked up in awe, his jaw trembling in shock, his pupils big and black as his eyes. Usopp's eyes had a slightly gray tinge to them as he reached out for Luffy. "Luffy… take this advice…" Usopp whispered as his blood pooled from his open wounds.

_Chopper turned around slowly to the door, eyes wide from fear, mouth open scream, but they had put a hand over his mouth and he tried to scream, to move about, but he couldn't. It simply came out as a low muffle._

"Oi, Usopp…"

_There was wind and he couldn't feel himself anymore… so numb. So cold… cold…_

"Don't hide you… mistakes, 'cause they'll find you… they'll burn you," Usopp said as he began to tremble and blood kept coming out, his entire being now red except for his eyes. "Luffy… Don't put your life in… someone's hands," Usopp coughed a little and blood began to pour out his mouth, the light beginning to disappear from his eyes. "They're bound… to steal it… away…" The light had poured out entirely out of his eyes.

"Usopp!" Luffy screamed, his mouth wide open, but nothing came out, only a very faint clammy utter of his mention.

- -

Nami shook awake, her heartbeat loud in her ears, so loud that she thought she heard it echo inside the small room. She couldn't see past a cool cloth that hung over her eyes and as she sat up, it slowly fell. She tried to scream, but the air choked her up. "Chopper," she choked, looking at the blood spatter that lined up the wall and clung to the ceiling, slowly dripping down on her and his once tanned coat. He was covered in cuts, sitting at his desk, head down on his notebooks as those cuts bled out crimson droplets that flowed over the desk. She tried to scream but the air was heavy and coppery so she held her nose, the air whispering at her ears. She wanted to scream, scream, scream… but she choked on the cold, still air. Her flesh began to crawl, and with her hands over her mouth, she looked down to her arm as, not flesh was crawling, but crimson dribbles were crawling down her arms. She gagged and looked on herself, eyes going wide as she watched her flesh split apart slowly. Her eyes floated to a figure in the doorway, whose sing-song words floated past the still air, a silhouette to Nami.

"_You lie, silent there before me;"_

Nami's heart began to hurt and her throat burned as tears began down her cheeks. _"Your tears, they mean nothing to me," _They sang, so softly and lightly she faintly heard it as her skin literally split at the seams. _"Here's a lullaby to close your eyes, it was always you that I despised." _Nami's vision began to haze and she leaned back against the wall, the last of her tears darting across the bed sheets, curling herself up so slightly._ "I don't feel enough for you to cry," _The cuts were all around her now, except for some large spots. But then, the air shifted and her blood flew up against the wall as she choked out her last mumbles of words._ "So here's a lullaby to close you eyes…" _Nami's eyes finally closed… _"Goodbye… Goodbye…_Goodbye… Goodbye."

- -

Luffy had to drag himself away from Usopp's room, his stomach roaring and bubbling with tears that he couldn't shed himself. His throat burned and he made himself go to Chopper's room to be nursed and sit there silently. The door to Chopper's room was open, and Luffy thought how that wasn't like the little reindeer at all. He locked his fingers around the door knob into the room and gave a tough push, but maybe he didn't have all the strength he thought he did at all. He gave another rough push and the door creaked open. He stepped into the room, suddenly feeling faint. There, directly before him, lay Nami, smothered in her own blood, her eyes fleeting shut, her mouth hung just slightly open as if she'd she a ghost… probably the ghost of herself. Luffy walked forward and sat down next to her red corpse. He put a hand to her cheek and wiped a tear from her cold, crimson cheek.

"Lu… ff… y…" Nami choked out, barely even a whisper and Luffy thought it was just his imagination until another tear slid down her cheek and cleared some of the blood from it's trail. "I'm… _sorry…"_

Luffy swallowed and leaned in and took away that tear with his lips, feeling the salt on his tongue. "It's okay, Nami… It's gonna be okay…" He said that, inspiring false confidence, even though it _wasn't_ going to be. It _never_ would be okay…

"Th… ank you… Luffy…" Nami said and her last and final breath escaped her as _Luffy_ rolled off her tongue in that breath. Luffy stood and turned solemnly. Then, there, at his desk, head over his notebooks, sat Chopper, tan coat painted crimson. Luffy fell to his knees and wept.

_Why? Why was this… this happening? How?_

- -

Sanji sat back to back with Zoro, their breaths slow and faint. Zoro stared down at his feet, Sanji trying to keep his gaze from drifting like his thoughts. Sanji took in a soft breath and released it in sigh, making Zoro look up slightly. "What is it?" Zoro asked faintly, draping one arm over his knee as the other stayed stretched out. They had never _really_ gone inside anyway.

"Nothin', really…"

"That's a lie."

"Yeah… it is."

"So what's really up?"

"It's just… why?"

"The hell if I know."

"Me either."

"You're the one who asked."

Sanji gave a hearty laugh, and it slightly startled Zoro. Zoro now shifted and turned so he was laying down next to Sanji, Sanji almost falling backward since his leaning post wasn't there anymore.. "Yeah, I was, wasn't I?"

"Oi. Otherwise I wouldn't have said it."

"Thanks, marimo."

"Yeah, whatever. But, what for?"

"I don't know." Sanji paused. "Just because."

"Okay." Zoro said, a new silence falling between them. "Hey, Sanji."

"Yeah, marimo?"

"Did I ever tell you that I love you?"

Sanji didn't know, he had to think on it. He didn't think Zoro would ever say that. Nonetheless _think_ that. "No."

"Good."

"What? Why?"

"I don't like sentimental crap."

"Ha, me either… but why?"

"I don't know. I just feel like I'm gonna die."

"Should we go and see Chopper?"

Zoro couldn't help but hear that Sanji said "we." As in, "you and I." Zoro felt like making him say it again, replay it in his head. "No… I'm fine. Like I am going to die… today… or soon, or whatever. But it's almost like a sixth sense, you know?"

"Um, no, I don't know… actually, I do know. But it's not really like a six sense, more like…"

"You know it's going to happen?"

"Exactly."

"Which is like a sixth sense."

"What? No. It's not…"

"Uh, yeah, it is…"

"Nuh-huh…"

"Uh-huh."

"Oh. Really?"

"Yeah, really."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, seriously."

Sanji paused for a moment until he let out a little, "whoa. I guess it is like a sixth sense, then, huh?"

"Exactly."

"Huh." Sanji thought about it for a split second. "Hey, Zoro…" Sanji said, staring upward as he lay down next to Zoro. Zoro rolled his head to him and Sanji returned his gaze. Zoro didn't realize it, but Sanji's lips were suddenly on his cheek, if only for a second. Sanji leaned back and just stared at Zoro. "You're a good guy."

Zoro got flustered, and he didn't even know why. "Uh… yeah, you too…" He paused. "I guess." Zoro added flatly with a shrug, making he and the blond cook just laughed loudly to themselves.

- -

Luffy trudged slowly up the wooden steps to Nami's orange trees, thinking that the scent of orange might calm him… and not make him hungry. Hopefully. Not likely. Nope. He'd get hungry. Luffy thought he was delirious now, seeing the grass was red. He lifted his hands. They had a dark crimson twinge to them, from all the blood he had touched. Was it his fault? He was red handed… wherever he was there seemed to be… something was wrong. Luffy turned around. _That _grass was green… he _wasn't _delirious. That was _blood drops. _He burst into speed, a fleeting image as he followed the trail of blood.

Sanji and Zoro were laying on the ground, their blood pooling over the thin blades of grass. He could hear Sanji saying something, but it was hardly a mumble. "Can't… _move…_" He choked over his blood as he coughed it over Zoro.

Luffy was already at their side, between them, whispering their names between sobs of tears.

"Luffy?"

"Zoro… Sanji…"

"Luffy… there's no time for goodbye…" Zoro said, his teeth red from his blood. "One day, you'll end up like me…"

"It's hard to imagine for me… and I just wish that day never comes…" Sanji whispered.

"Zoro… Sanji… please… stay!"

"If I stay… it won't be long 'til… I'm burning on the inside…" Sanji croaked.

"If I go… I can _only _hope… that I… make it… to the other… _side…" _Zoro choked, coughing on blood his last time as Sanji began.

"If you want to make it alive…"

"Oh, _oh," _Zoro groaned in agony with Sanji simultaneously.

"Run for your life!" Sanji screamed, attempting to lift his legs and kick at Luffy like Zoro was. Luffy flew back when both Zoro's and Sanji's kicks landed and he instantly got up, screaming their names aloud as they died together.

"Saaaaanjiiiiiii! Zooorrooooooo!" He screamed, furious, angrily, sadly, catastrophically into the night.

- - -

Luffy sat on Merry's head, crying, weeping. He stood then, trying to muster courage. "Who did this?!" He growled loudly that it echoed on the waves and on the island the Going Merry had settled next to.

"I did this." Like to Nami, the person began to sing in a voice Luffy had memorized. "_Your tears, they mean nothing to me. the wind, howling at the window, the love, you never gave, I give to you," _The person sung as they danced the way of Death, dancing up to him and whispering in his ear the next bit. "_Really don't deserve it, but now… there's nothing you can do." _Luffy's mouth open, his jaw trembling, too shaken and shocked to move, putting the pieces together in his head. "_So insignificant, sleeping dormant deep inside of me," _They sang, dancing off, away, from him again. _"Are you hiding away, lost, under the sewers, maybe flying high, in the clouds? Perhaps you're happy without me…"_ The person gave a pause as they thought up the next part quickly._ "So many seeds have been sown in the field, and who could sprout up so blessedly, if I had died? I would have never felt sad at all… You will not hear me say 'I'm sorry.' Where is the light? Wonder if it's weeping somewhere?" _They finished and laughed loudly, mocking him and the remains of his friends.

"You see, _dear Captain_… nakama do not exist. They are merely people who come, and mere people who then go." The person turned to them, but Luffy hadn't moved. "Nakama aren't real… it's simply a _word._ So tell me, what is it like? To have you nakama simply…" The person leaned in close to his ear, whispering. "Washed away… so _easily?_ It hurts… doesn't it?" Luffy made no movement, not from what the murderer could see. "It does…" Luffy swung his fist across their face and swung himself at them, pinning them to the ground.

"WHY??" Luffy roared into their face. "Why, Akemi??"

"Because!" She screamed, crying. "I was like _you_ once… grateful, loving crew… but then someone came along and acted as a friend and then killed them off, just as I have, to _your_ crew…"

Luffy swung his fist across Akemi's face again and her nose began to bleed. She gritted her teeth and then he flew across Merry. He hit the edge of the deck and the wind blew so fiercely that he had to hide his face with his arms and she bent over and picked him up, throwing him overboard and onto a small margin of rock, so hard that he hit his back. "Don't you understand?!" She roared. "It's for your own good!" She beat her fist into his face as she jumped off the ship and landed on top of him, his blood smearing her fist as it make a crunching sound against his face. "You need to _learn!_" She was about to bring her fist back down upon him, but she noticed something odd. Though Luffy was unconscious, his shadows were still moving, and they… didn't look like… the shadows stood from the ground, rising up as two silhouettes she had learned to memorize. They swung their fists across her face and she flew back into the water. She couldn't swim and her mouth filled with water as she struggled to breathe underneath the surface… cold, so cold… nakama… were true… after all…_ nakama…_


	3. A Story To Tell In Your Absence

**Warning:** rated **K+ **for character death, violence, gore, drama and language. "Supernatural" occurrences.  
**Author's notes: **Well, sorry I didn't apologize for the length of chapter two, agh... But, if you have any questions, you can leave them in a REVIEW, as many other people might have that same question, and I'd rather not answer a thousand private messages of the same question. xD Oh, and people DO have more than one shadow if there is more than one object of light. In this case, lanterns & lights & the sun/moon.  
**Disclaimer: All mentioned arcs are really in One Piece. Jango's Dance Party is a filler arc. **Look it up on You-Tube if you don't know it.  
One Piece & friends - Eiichiro "The Man" Oda  
"Ready!" Folder Five (5) The song that made Luffy mention Jango's Dance Party.  
**Translation notes:  
**_Nakama_: "Nakama" (Japanese) has no direct translation into the English language, and is often related to "friends" who are more around the lines of "family" to that person. So, I am leaving the word, "nakama," in the story without a direct translation.  
_Mugiwara Kaizoku_: "Mugiwara" (Japanese) mean, non-directly, "straw hat(s)." "Kaizoku" (Japanese) means, directly, "pirate."  
_Marimo: _"Marimo" (Japanese) is a ball of algae, or just algae in general. Since Zoro's hair is green, Sanji calls him marimo as a tease.  
_Oi:_ "Oi" basically means "yes." When they are calling out to each other to say hello, they say "oi" as in "yes," or as in what we say today, "what."  
_-Ossan: _a nickname or add-on with respect for someone older than you or someone over thirty.  
-_Kun:_ a nickname or add-on with respect for a male or tomboy.  
_-Chan:_ a nickname or add-on with respect for a female.

_**Chapter Three  
**_"_A Story To Tell In Your Absence"_

His hair was long, black and hidden under a black ten-gallon hat, a black collared shirt on over a pair of dark red cargo pants. He sat on his bed, his long black hair brushing the wall. He sighed in the darkness, not thinking. He had given that up years ago. The only thing he knew now was _no light, no shadows. _But that shadows still came. He had tried to forget. But they were still there. They were always there. But in the darkness he had no shadows, and so he sat along in that dark room, on the bed, in solitude. He rarely left the room, and if he did, it was to move around the house or roam outside on a dark, cloudy night. He didn't know many people now, except for Miho-ossan, who came occasionally to tell him when it was night, because she knew that if she didn't tell him, he'd never go outside. A knock came at the door and he looked up quickly as Miho stepped into the room and stood in the doorway, peeking in. "Luffy-kun…" Miho said, but he did not respond. "Luffy, my son…" Miho opened the door as she stepped in, shutting it behind her. "You must go outside, Luffy," she said as she sat down next to him. "It's time to face your fears. You're strong, I know you can do it, Luffy." She put a hand on his back and gave a gentle squeeze as he looked away. He hadn't changed since he had came, afraid to go outside, afraid to see his shadows. "I know you are trying to forget them, but you have to move on. They _want_ you to move on, maybe that's why they're here… or maybe they're here to protect you, my son…" He simply glanced up at her. He was sixteen when he came to her, and now he was twenty-one. Five years of living in fear, five years of living in the dark. "Luffy…"

"I'll do it, Miho-ossan."

Miho was shocked she had inspired him. But she hid her anxiety and shock. "Really… Luffy?"

"I promise, Miho-ossan."

"That's the spirit, Luffy. They want you to see the sun, to see it will be alright." She cheered him and bounced upward to stand. She stood in the doorway as Luffy molded his fingers together on his lap and leaned his elbows onto his knees. "I'll be here, Luffy. You know I am, if you need me."

Luffy smiled, but he said, "It's okay, Miho-ossan. I can do it." Miho had disappeared and left the door open, the sunlight flooding in with a mixture of lantern light. Luffy glanced at the wall without turning his head. He swallowed as the two familiar shadows lounged on the wall. One with short hair, the other with semi-long hair that used to cover his left eye. They both looked back at him, even though they had no eyes in their black profiles, even though they were in the same posture as him. He tried to smile.  
_Smile like you mean it._

He looked at the wall. Did his shadows just _talk_ to him…? He though, he _swore_, he did. But maybe it was just all this time cooped in the room, maybe he had cabin fever.

He stood and stretched his arms, his shadows following him, unnerving him. He reached for the door and closed it as he stepped into the brightly lit hallway, slowly lifting his head to remove the haze from his eyes as they adjusted to the light. "I'm ready."

- - -

"And that's how I came to be who I am now," He finished, sitting up. The little crowd clapped and cheered and cat-called to him, and she smiled simply. They had stopped after he finished bowing and he chuckled to himself. A little boy walked up to him, smiling up at him. He was up too his waist and tugged on his shirt. He had a bamboo katana at his waist. He smiled brightly when he looked down at him.

"Luffy-ossan," he said. "Can you tell me more about Zoro? I like Zoro. Can you tell me a new story? I've heard them all so far."

"Tell you a new one, you say?"

"Yes, a new one! Make another one up, Luffy-ossan!"

"Yeah, yeah, Luffy-ossan!" Another little boy said, rushing up to him. He was the other boy's size, with bright blond hair and blue-blue eyes. "I'd like to hear one about Sanji-kun!"

"Oh, and about Nami?" An orange-haired girl giggled loudly as he tugged his white shirt.

"Or Chopper?" Another boy hollered. He was short with brown hair and a little red top-hat.

"Or maybe Usopp?" A boy in overalls called, his short, looping hair curling over his eyes.

"How about Robin-chan?" A dark-haired girl called, dancing up to the orange-haired girl.

"Or Luffy?" A black haired boy called, waving a straw hat as he ran up with a big smile on his face. "He's my hero!"

He let out a big, loud chuckle and the kids stared up at him, smiling brightly for a new story. "You all look just like the Mugiwara Kaizoku!" He laughed and the kids all gave little giggles.

"Do I look like Luffy?" The boy with the straw hat called out.

"Yes! You all look like your heroes!" He laughed loudly and the kids cheered among themselves.

"Well, we _are_ the famous, world-renown Mugiwara Kaizoku!" The boy in the overalls called aloud. "And I am famous celebrity, Captain Usopp!"

"That's a lie." The rest of the kids, including Luffy himself, said flatly together.

"Well, I _want_ to be!"

Luffy let out a laugh again and the kids all looked to him. "Tell you what guys, how about I tell you about Skypiea, the Island in the Sky?" The kids cheered.

"Oh, that's my favorite!"

"But I also like Water Seven!"

"Oh, me too! But I love Alabasta!"

"Oh, definitely!"

"Then again, I like it when the Mugiwara were all fighting against the World Government, when Zoro totally kicked Kaku's can!"

"But I like Drum Island!"

"Yeah, well I like them _all!"_ Luffy laughed and they cheered as he sat down to begin with his story. Luffy took in a deep breath as somewhere a song began to play, a song he recognized. "Actually, how about instead of Skypiea, we do a little dance? I call it, 'Jango's Dance Party!' How about it guys?" The kids cheered and hooted and sat around him in a little circle as he began his tale. Behind him on the wall sat his shadows, the short-haired one and the long-haired one. They smiled, even from their black profiles, giving Luffy confidence in himself.

_- -_

"_I think we did good." A blond-haired man said, the collar on his shirt waving gently in the breeze._

"_Me too." Another man said, looking over his sunglasses, riding a hand through his green hair. The two men looked out across the sea, the gentle waves washing over their feet. "He'll be here one day, you know."_

"_I know, and that makes me happy. Do you think he'll look different?"_

"_Who knows? It's our captain you're talking about."_

"_Haha, I take that as a maybe."_

"_Good."_

"_Hey, guys!" An orange-haired girl called from a distance, waving, who stood next to a little reindeer and a tall, dark-haired woman. _

"_Come on you too, let's keep going!" The little reindeer called out to them._

"_Okay, we will!"_

_The blond man started off running, but the green-haired man stood there, watching at the sun set over the far-out ocean. "Good luck in life, Luffy. We'll be waiting here in Paradise for you." _

"_Hey, marimo!" The blond man called out, halfway between the green headed man and the rest of the crew. "Come on!"_

"_I'm comin', I'm comin!" He shouted back and began off after one last glance at the sun on the rippling waves._


End file.
